Farsighted Fly Girl

If there's any city that supplies international flair on every corner, it's New York. We arrived at our Harlem brownstone starved so we walked to the local cafe on the corner. We passed  African women wrapped in vibrant Senegalese dresses,  Mexican men selling tacos from a truck and Jamaicans peddling rasta hats and jewelry, only to arrive at a French bistro.  Cafe Lucienne offers the perfect sidewalk views for bustling New York life as well as an inventive mix of French and American fare. Okay, so gazpacho isn't so French but I love it and there's nothing better on a hot summer day. Cafe Lucienne's was bursting with fresh tomatoes and herbs. My husband is the one who gets into French food and he wasted no time ordering the requisite escargot. I don't eat creepy crawlies no matter how they're served but he insisted that they were excellent. He also dove into a pile of mussells, which is also something I don't go near. But they're pretty. The s...

I'm headed to the Big Apple and will be exploring as much as I can for the rest of the week.  I'll be celebrating our anniversary with my hubby, topped off with a Broadway visit to attend Fela! The Musical. (I have to stuff my dancing shoes into my carry on.)  We'll also stop by the Statue of Liberty, catch Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre at Summerstage in Central Park, make our way to Brooklyn and indulge in the decadent Taste Harlem food tour one more time.  Stay tuned for posts at the end of next week.

I'm not a neat freak on any level but I have a thing against nasty airport floors.  You know, the ones that thousands of people slap with their sweaty feet while they're shuffling through security?  I always, always, wear socks or stockings because I just can't bear to think about  my feet connecting with what's on those floors.  Now that it's summer, I'm amazed by the throngs of flip flop-clad flyers who think nothing about bare feet and frosty, dirty airports.  I usually suffer though stockings with my ballet flats but I've discovered a much cuter solution. The folks at Kushyfoot sent me free samples of their extensive line of reflexology-infused travel foot wear and I'm happy to say that the foot covers are the solution to my airport fears. Thin, soft, nylon with heel guards and foot cushions cover the bottom of your foot without peeking out of your shoes.  I slip through security without having to suffer thick socks, hose or who knows what...

Amelia Island may be famous for its shrimp but I spotted a form of the pink delicacies that I was not expecting at all. I was strolling down the sunny, cobblestone streets on a historical tour when my guide stopped and plu cked a curving, pink branch from the flowering bush above.  " Wh at does that look like to you?" My guide asked, showing me the blossoms close up.  It looks like a shrimp!  Hence the name shrimp plant.  They grow all over the island and my guide insisted that they will grow just about anywhere. Well, not in Chicago, I informed him.  Not enough sun. Two weeks ago, guess what I spied for sale in front of my local grocery store? It was a vividly blooming, potted shrimp plant. In Chicago. I've never seen them here before and don't know how long they'll last but it just goes to show that sometimes things don't always make sense but it doesn't mean they can't happen.  

I love horses. One of my favorite activities wherever I travel is to go horseback riding. There's nothing like exploring a place on horseback, grabbing a totally different perspective. Sometimes, the horses don't always love me back. I've ridden bossy horses that refuse to move. Hungry horses that insist on snacking on nearby bushes instead of gallop ing and nervous horses that spook  if I dare to hold their reins a tad too tight. So when arrangements for my horseback ride on Amelia Island were planned, I requested a friendly, gentle horse.  Those qualities can be relative but with Debbie Manser , owner of Amelia Island Horseback Riding, I was well taken care of. She paired me with Honey, shown above. I've never met an animal that personified their name quite so perfectly as sweet-natured Honey. We rode along a luminous stretch of American Beach just as the sun was about to set. Debbie guided Honey along the shore and even in the water's edge. Honey trotted sl...

If you've ever traveled to Belize, you may have glimpsed the richness of Garifuna Culture. The Garifuna , sometimes called Black Caribs, are of mixed African. Araw ak and Carib ancestry and live primarily along the Caribbean coast of Belize, Honduras and Guatemala.  The Diaspora community also gathers in major American cities and Chicago is fortunate to be one of them. I have many Belizian friends and have always enjoyed spicy Belizian food but I never experienced the full gamut of Garifuna specialties until I visited Garifuna Flava , a wonderful restaurant on Chicago's South Side. I could live on the  crispy, golden goodness of panades , deep fried mini empanadas stuffed with fish, all by themselves.  They are served with varying levels of scorching hot sauce but they really are flavorful enough without it.  Garnaches are another popular appetizer.  They're thin tostadas topped with re fried beans, cheddar cheese and ketchup that I've never de...

I like adventure. There's something about pushing yourself past the familiar and grabbing a new experience that always excites me. So when offered the chance to fly over Tennessee and Georgia, from the stunning Lookout Mountain, I litera lly jumped at the opportunity.  I toured Chattanooga, Tennessee on a sponsored press trip and nothing will stick in my memory like hang gliding. A lot of people assume that's it's a frightening experience but I frankly am more afraid flying inside of an airplane. I felt no abrupt stomach drop, no heart palpitations, just the breezy sensation of flying through the air.  As I blew over trees and pastures with my instructor Eric ,I felt like I was riding a kite.  It was fun and intoxicating. What travel adventure will you always remember?